Antichecking iron



May 18, 1937.

Filed Deo. 30,

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[mei/dw: @I @OLD H, Fefy,

May 1,8, 1937. H., H. FEBREY 2,080,962

ANTICHECKING IRON Filed Dec. so, 1955 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented May 18, 1937 UNITED STATES AN TICHECKIN G IRON Harold H. Febrey, South Orange, N. J., assignor' to The American Steel and Wire Company of New Jersey, a corporation of New Jersey Application December 30, 1935, Serial No. 56,823

1 Claim.

My invention relates to anti-checking irons, and more particularly to those which are used to prevent the checking or splitting of railway ties.

Devices of this class are usually made of strap steel bent or formed to the desired configuration, or are made by casting metal in thin angle bars, etc. The irons thus formed are adap-ted to be driven edgewise into the end grain of timber to bind it together to prevent checking and splitting, and to reenforce it against the forces that tend to check and split the wood.

In the past anti-checking irons have not been altogether successful. The strap type irons have been known to slip longitudinally in a sinuo-us manner when splitting forces have been exerted upon the timbers to which they were applied, thus rendering them useless. The cast irons have failed to prevent splitting of timbers due to their disrupting or breaking when the timbers to which they were applied were subjected to splitting stresses.

The theoretically perfect iron is considered to be a closed, Solid loop of strap metal, which when driven into the end grain of timber will prevent splitting thereof in all directions without slipping or rupturing. These types of antichecking irons, however, have never been widely adopted due to the diiculty encountered in driving them into the wood. A blow delivered to sink one side of the iron will cause the opposite side to spring out of engagement with the wood, due to the peripheral continuity of the iron.

The present invention has for an object the provision of an anti-checking iron that has all oi the advantages of the solid, closed loopl iron without presenting the difficulties of the latter, and which may be driven into the end grain of timber with great ease and facility.

My invention will best be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan of an anti-checking iron made in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a plan of a modied form of the anti-checking iron of Figure l.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along the lines III- III of Figure l.

Figure 4 is a sectional view corresponding to Figure 3, but showing a modified form of driving or penetrating edge that may be employed on my improved iron.

Figure 5 is an end view of another modification.

Figure 6 is a side view of the showing of Figure 5.

Referring more specifically to the drawings,

the numeral 2 indicates a single length of strap steel that has been provided with a sharpened edge 3 which is cut from its outer to its inner face, as shown in Figure 3.

The strap 2 is formed with oppositely curved portions 4 and 5 at its extremities that are adapted to interlock in the manner illustrated in Figure 1.

The strap 2, intermediatey its ends, may be formed in any desired manner to bring its ends 4 and 5 into interlocking engagement to form a closed loop, as shown. Preferably, this will be accomplished by forming the strap intermediate its ends into a gradual arcuate curvature. In Figure l this gradual arcuate curvature is illustrated as substantially elliptical; while in Figure 2 it is substantially circular, as indicated at 2a.

An iron made in accordance herewith may be rapidly and easily installed in place by presenting its sharpened edge to the end o-f the timber to be reenforced, and by commencing to drive the iron adjacent one of its extremities, and by following around the iron with the driving impacts until the opposite extremity is reached. By this method the iron will enter the wood gradually without disturbing its portions that have a1- ready been driven into place.

Obviously the interlocking ends prevent the strap from slipping sinuously along its length, while stresses of exceptional force may be compensated for by the play which is established by the spacing between the adjacent faces of the extremities 4 and 5, thus preventing the breaking of the strap.

Referring to Figure 4, the sharpened edge of the strap (whether 2 or 2a) is cut from both its inner and outer faces, as indicated at 3a.

In Figure 5 I have shown a modification of the invention which comprises forming the strap 2 in such fashion that when driven into the timber its ends will be slightly spaced, as indicated at 4a and 5a, whereby a substantially closed loop results. V

While I have shown and described several 4 specific embodiments of my invention, it will be understood that I do not wish to be limited exactly thereto, since various modifications may be made without departing from the sco-pe of my invention, as dened by the following claim.

I claim:

An integral anti-checking iron for application to the cross-sectional end grain of timber comprising a relatively flat elongated metal body dispose said joint elements in operative registration to constitute said substantially closed loop, the latter being adapted to act as an antisplitting means in al1 directions of substantially the entire cross-section of the timber of application.

HAROLD H. FEBREY. 

